Please play Fate/Go with me.

The two men warily stared at the spot where Li Shuwen was, where billowing gray smoke was rising. A figure stood up from within the smoke, and then... sat down on the ground.

"Hahaha! I lost! Brilliant! Really interesting! Kid, your potential hasn't been fully unleashed yet, the potential of your body, the potential of your eyes. I really want to fight you in your prime." Li Shuwen's black mud combat suit cracked little by little, like charred charcoal, with tiny fragments falling off.

Shirou, exhausted, sat down on the floor and said, "Well, if next time I'm a Heroic Spirit instead of being corrupted by the black mud, I'd like to learn Bajiquan from you."

"Hmph, don't talk nonsense. No matter what state you are in or how you live, as long as you stay true to your original intention, you are yourself." Li Shuwen gave an ambiguous look and continued, "You are the same. Even if you are just an embodiment of Emiya Shirou's yearning for happiness, you are still you."

"You can tell me now, right? What exactly happened? Why did you come looking for me?" Shirou asked Li Shuwen.

"Killing you would be a pointless act of revenge. I've only heard of the other guys; I don't know their thoughts, but they're all eccentric individuals. I just want to challenge the strong. However, there are indeed monsters whose very existence is questionable—whether they can still be called 'Servants' is debatable—and I'm helpless against that type."

"But you'll inevitably have to confront it sooner or later, so let me give you a piece of advice: only by staying true to your original aspirations can you become stronger." After saying his last words, Li Shuwen emitted a fluorescent glow and returned to his seat.

The body, enveloped in black mud, gradually melted away, turning into a soft, limp pile of mud that slowly flowed onto the ground.

"I won... I finally won! When I was sent flying, I was lucky I grabbed the roof, otherwise I would have really fallen." Hiratsuka Shizuka said, slumped on the ground.

"Are you alright, teacher?" Shirou asked worriedly.

"It's alright, it's alright." Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand.

It turned out that Hiratsuka Shizuka had used her elbow to protect her body at the crucial moment, blocking Li Shuwen's crushing fist. Although she was still knocked away, at least she didn't suffer the fate of having all her internal organs shattered.

After crashing through the wall and falling out, she managed to steady herself and, with Leonardo da Vinci's guidance, seized the opportunity to deliver the crucial punch.

"As expected of Shizuka-chan, you're full of backbone, a true hot-blooded female teacher! Even though your hand bones were already broken, you still held on to the eaves with your teeth to keep from falling, thinking that Shirou was still up there. I think there's no better female warrior in the world than that," Da Vinci praised.

"Shut up, Da Vinci!" Hiratsuka Shizuka snapped angrily, finding it a rare opportunity to show off her cool side.

"Teacher... thank you, you are indeed both handsome and adorable!" Shirou said, looking at his teacher with respect and admiration.

"Shirou, you shut up too!"

Just then, a hot wind blew in from outside, and the building trembled slightly, creaking and groaning as if it were about to collapse.

"An earthquake?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked in confusion.

"Is this building about to collapse?" Kasumigaoka Utaha exclaimed in surprise.

"No! Logically speaking, this building shouldn't be collapsing so quickly," Shirou said, puzzled.

"There's a magical reaction in the sky, it's a Noble Phantasm attack, be careful!" Da Vinci, who was at Chaldea, exclaimed upon seeing the detection data.

The surrounding space changed color, and several flaming boulders appeared in the sky, hurtling towards them like falling meteors. The buildings, already unstable due to the loss of magical power, would be instantly smashed to pieces and collapse if hit by them.

"Run! There are so many big rocks, even if you hold up Tarasque and use your shell to block them, you can't stop them!" Hiratsuka Shizuka shouted as she saw the scene outside the window.

"This way, senior." Shirou quickly pulled Kasumigaoka Utaha towards the window.

"Shirou-kun, what should we do?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked anxiously.

"Bite your teeth and don't say a word!" Shirou instructed, nodding to Hiratsuka Shizuka on the other side.

"Huh?...Whoa!" Kasumigaoka Utaha looked puzzled.

However, in the next moment, he was picked up, stepped onto the windowsill, and jumped out with all his might.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the moment the three jumped out, a dark figure appeared on the floor, grabbed the golden cup revealed by the fading black mud on the ground where Li Shuwen had left, and then left through the window on the other side.

The moment they left, several boulders, each two or three meters in diameter, crashed down onto the fake building, instantly creating several large holes from the top to the bottom. The impact of the enormous force produced a deafening roar, and wooden planks and eaves shattered, flying everywhere.

Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned against the boy's chest, closed her eyes tightly, and felt herself floating up, then being pulled down by gravity like in an elevator.

Two thuds were heard, the body trembled slightly, and then there was no more movement.

Just then, the boy's gentle voice rang in my ears, "It's ready now, senior."

Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had been keeping her eyes closed, opened them and took in the scene on the ground. She blinked in surprise and looked at the boy holding her. He had long silver hair and eyes that shimmered with purple light in his amber eyes. He seemed even more handsome now.

"Thank you..." Kasumigaoka Utaha said, her face slightly flushed.

"Don't mention it. For you, I would go through fire and water to get you out of there immediately." Long, silvery-white bangs fell across half of the boy's face, and his eyes shone with a tenderness and concern that seemed to melt away the girl's defenses.

"N-nothing...it's nothing." Kasumigaoka Utaha's heart was pounding.

"Is that so? Then I'm relieved." The boy spoke in a low voice, so he was very close to the girl, looking down at her until their noses were almost touching.

"Shirou! Put Kasumigaoka down! How long are you going to keep holding her like that?!" Hiratsuka Shizuka shouted.

"Oh...oh." Merlin Shirou only then snapped out of his daze. In his current state, he always felt that he could be led astray by Merlin's personality if he wasn't careful.

"No, no, Shirou, you've always been in control of the body." In his mental world, Merlin shrugged, indicating his innocence.

"I feel like Shirou-kun these days is surprisingly manly, so proactive." Kasumigaoka Utaha blushed slightly as she was put down.

"Thank you, teacher. Thank you, Shirou." Kasumigaoka Utaha bowed to the two people who came to her rescue.

"No, rather, I'd like to say I'm sorry! It's my fault for dragging you into this, senior." Shirou bowed to his senior in return.

"What was that stone all about? Was it Li Shuwen's backup plan? Was he trying to take everyone down with him? That doesn't seem like something he would do," Hiratsuka Shizuka said, frowning in confusion.

“Yes, anyone who has fought him should know that he’s a martial arts fanatic. Nothing exhilarates him more than a battle fought with all his might,” Shirou said.

Kasumigaoka Utaha shook her head and said, "No, Master Li said that I was brought here by an outsider. He knew that I was from the same school as Shirou-kun, so he took me upstairs."

"What exactly happened? Are there other guys hiding?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked.

“No, the magical reaction of the Black Mud Heroic Spirit has indeed disappeared. This world is also beginning to dissolve, and apart from the Servants detected earlier, there are no other anomalies.” Da Vinci shook his head.

At this moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the sky, and cracks began to appear in the sky of the small world, as if it were about to shatter. The forest on one side of the valley began to collapse continuously, and the land merged together and arched high. In other places, it suddenly sank, breaking open a huge, dark pit.

"Shirou! Shizuka-chan, the space here is collapsing rapidly, retreat quickly!" Da Vinci warned in the holographic image.

"Ugh! One troublesome thing after another is happening," Hiratsuka Shizuka complained.

"Let's get Kasumigaoka-senpai out of here first!" Shirou said.

With that, Shirou picked up Kasumigaoka Utaha again, ran quickly, and jumped onto the doorway connecting to the other dimension.

"Ah! The reaction to losing the Holy Grail... I was planning to wait a while and pick it up... Did it disappear with that little world?!" Leonardo da Vinci exclaimed regretfully.

"Since it disappeared in another dimension, it doesn't matter, right? After all, in this world without any mystical elements, even if we found it, no one would use it; it would just be an ordinary cup," Shirou said, not seeming to care much.

"The Holy Grail? My two Marthas are already level 100, so that thing isn't very useful anymore." Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand dismissively.

Da Vinci reminded him, "That's the real Holy Grail! If you have it, it's not impossible to wish for a hundred handsome, rich, and considerate boyfriends!"

"What! Hurry up and find a way to get it back!" Hiratsuka Shizuka shouted with bright eyes, about to crawl into the opening of the alternate dimension.

Shirou quickly reached out and grabbed her.

Chapter 133 After Merlin was dumped

At this time, Mount Lu was still pitch black, with only the stars twinkling in the sky. Looking down, only the dim streetlights were still on, and most of the lights in the residents' homes had been turned off, indicating that it was already late at night.

“Handsome guy…money…warm man…” Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was being dragged out by Shirou, looked at the increasingly smaller entrance to the alternate dimension with a pained expression, waving her hands.

"Shizuka-chan, don't be misled by such vulgar things. You have a heart full of justice and kindness, and you have great potential to become a nun. So let's dedicate our lives to the cause of saving the world!" The selfless saint Martha seemed to think highly of Hiratsuka Shizuka, and said with holy light shining from behind her.

"No way!!!" Hiratsuka Shizuka cried out in despair, looking so heartbroken that it would make anyone who heard it weep.

Unable to bear it any longer, Martha left her body without even mentioning her wish as the price for the summoning.

"Shirou, you see! If the Holy Grail is left to roam freely, it could be very dangerous if it falls into the hands of someone with impure motives," Da Vinci warned.

"Well, the entrance to the cave has disappeared anyway. As long as it's not picked up by someone like the teacher, I'll probably be fine," Shirou said with a dry laugh.

“No, every year during holidays like Christmas and Halloween, Chaldea always falls into chaos for various reasons. For example, there’s a dragon girl who always manages to retrieve some inexplicable things and cause strange incidents. Especially the concerts, they’re a real disaster.” Da Vinci covered his face in sorrow.

Shirou then looked at the girl standing to the side and said, "Ah, Kasumigaoka-senpai, I'm sorry, we're just talking about things you wouldn't understand."

Kasumigaoka Utaha shook her head and said, "No, I'm glad you came to save me. Besides, what you're talking about seems to be somewhat similar to the mobile game I play, so I can understand some of it surprisingly."

"Ahaha, is that so..." Shirou chuckled dryly. Since the girl had never performed a possession summon, she had no concept of it. Even if he wanted to explain Chaldea to her, he didn't know where to begin.

Kasumigaoka Utaha said, "But it still feels incredible. I'm encountering all sorts of strange things now, like something out of a novel. I thought I'd only ever see these kinds of things in my own novels."

"Haha, let's go back first anyway, and we can explain the details later," Shirou said.

“That’s true. If they find out we’re not there, everyone will be in chaos.” Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded in agreement.

"Alright, teacher, how long are you going to stay so down? It's time to go." Shirou helped Hiratsuka Shizuka up from the ground and said irritably.

"Shirou, it seems like Martha has prophesied that I'll become a nun," Hiratsuka Shizuka said, sounding hurt.

"So why are you so insecure, teacher? You're very beautiful and outstanding; it's just that those people are blind to your beauty," Shirou said sincerely. He genuinely felt that Hiratsuka Shizuka was a woman worthy of respect.

"Really?" Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes gleamed with expectation.

"Of course!" Shirou replied earnestly.

"Well, the teacher is just a little stronger than other men. Childish, willful, and persistent; competitive, more boisterous than men when it comes to eating and drinking, and when it comes to fighting... there are probably very few people in this world who can beat you..."

"Just change those bad habits a little, like not speeding, smoking less, drinking less, and spending less money on in-game purchases..." Shirou gave examples, his voice growing softer and softer until he finally lowered his head and fell silent.

"Shirou...?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked in confusion.

Shirou turned around and placed his hands on Hiratsuka Shizuka's shoulders, saying loudly, "Yeah! It's definitely okay if it's you!"

"What do you mean 'no problem'?! Why is Shirou suddenly looking at me with the exact same loving gaze as my mom, and saying the same things? Why do you seem to have given up thinking and just blurted out the result?!"

Shirou turned his head away and changed the subject, saying, "Alright, alright, let's go down the mountain."

"Shirou-kun, how are we supposed to get down?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked.

"It's alright, just close your eyes and leave everything to me," the boy said gently.

"Eh...?" Kasumigaoka Utaha was stunned for a moment, then Shirou wrapped one arm around her waist and the other arm around Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had already broken free from her Heroic Spirit possession. With one arm around each of them, he leaped high into the air and jumped down the mountain.

"I knew it! Wow!"

Meanwhile, on a mountain peak on the other side of Mount Lu, the servant dressed as a general stood atop a tall tree, watching Shirou and his companions depart from afar.

"That was wonderful!" Applause came from behind the woods, followed by a dark figure stepping out and saying in a sweet, childlike voice.

"You flatter me. I never expected Her Majesty the Empress to propose such a plan, to personally risk going out of her way to snatch food from the jaws of death," the general said.

"Haha, if it's something you want, of course you have to take it with your own hands. I never expected that General Zhang Qing's Noble Phantasm would be so powerful. Everyone says you're good at throwing stones, but I never imagined it would be a catapult-level weapon. And the timing was so precise. Thanks to you, I was able to obtain the Holy Grail smoothly."

As they spoke, the mist on the dark figure instantly dissipated, revealing a petite girl with blue hair in pigtails, dressed in ancient court attire. Her face was exactly the same as Zhou Meimei's, but at this moment, the spirit Wu Zetian was in control of the body.

Zhang Qing said nonchalantly, "You're too kind. My stone-throwing technique is all about flexibility and convenience; it's inexhaustible. Just find a place to pick up a few and you can use them as weapons. Right now, as a treasure, it's just used to throw larger stones. Rather, why are you, as Emperor Zhou Wu, an assassin skilled in stealth? How did you manage to infiltrate that place undetected after Instructor Li was defeated?"

"Haha, I am a genius, and when I first entered the palace, I was just a lowly concubine. Naturally, I had to know how to minimize my presence and avoid being noticed by others. No, it's more accurate to say that it's an essential skill for living in the harem. Of course, the ability to showcase one's strengths in front of the emperor when necessary is even more important," Wu Zetian said with a smile.

"It seems that even the imperial harem is just as treacherous as the imperial court," Zhang Qing sighed.

"It seems you don't mind being an empress like me?" Wu Zetian said with some surprise.

"No, looking at this era, it doesn't matter whether men or women are leaders anymore. It's not like Liangshan doesn't have female leaders. Compared to female emperors, I can't stand incompetent rulers and treacherous officials even more."

"Emperors are human too, and every emperor has his moments of incompetence. Everything an emperor does is merely to maintain his power, so he always makes choices and checks and balances, striving for what is beneficial to him and suppressing what is harmful. Fortunately, this time, my interests are aligned with yours. I thank you for joining my side, and I swear I will share the spoils of war with you," Wu Zetian said with a smile.

"Thank you then. As long as you keep your promise to me, I'm fine with staying by your side as a bodyguard or henchman. Leave the brains to you, Your Majesty, I'll handle the fighting," Zhang Qing said.

"Rest assured, although I am ruthless to the enemy, I have never mistreated capable and meritorious officials. Let's go! The others have started to move as well, and I need to take the lead in making arrangements." With that, Wu Zetian took the Holy Grail and left the collapsing little world, and Zhang Qing followed her.

Wearing the projected flying Noble Phantasm, Feather Shoes, Shirou quickly returned to the inn in the mountain town with Hiratsuka Shizuka and Kasumigaoka Utaha. He quietly turned the window and climbed inside.

The three of them then went to Shirou's room, where Da Vinci began to explain the situation to Kasumigaoka Utaha. Shirou also indicated that he would no longer involve her.

After explaining everything, Shirou felt it was time to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Teacher, let's talk alone," Shirou asked Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"Well, I'm not worried about Shirou. No, I'm more worried that Kasumigaoka might do something outrageous. I'll just stand at the door and wait for you." Hiratsuka Shizuka said hesitantly.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, please don't say such unromantic things, okay? Shirou-kun has already said that he wants to talk to me~ alone~." Kasumigaoka Utaha said in a deliberately ambiguous tone.

"Don't worry, teacher. I'll talk to Kasumigaoka-senpai and then take her back to her room," Shirou assured his teacher.

"Since you put it that way, I understand. Oh, by the way, we're going to watch the sunrise early tomorrow morning, so get some rest." Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded, walked outside, and went back to her room.

"So, Shirou-kun, what do you want to talk to me about?" Kasumigaoka Utaha then returned to her usual self, revealing a somewhat indifferent yet complex expression.

"Yes, I believe you can understand who Magical Merry is now, right?" Shirou said.

"I've already guessed it to some extent. Merlin was the one who helped me online, but in reality..." Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded, her feelings somewhat complicated. Doesn't this mean she's liked two people at the same time?

The thoughtful help she received online, and the gentleness of the boy in real life, had long been intertwined in her heart. She loved the prince who understood her online and was willing to listen to her inner thoughts; she also loved the prince in real life who was still gentle and considerate to her even when she was being unreasonable. These feelings had long since turned into her sweet memories of first love, and her heart would still race whenever she thought of them.

But now she's being told that there are actually two people involved, and that her first love was actually two different people?! Although she appears calm on the surface, the girl's heart is in turmoil and filled with complex emotions.

I don't know how to face the boy in front of me anymore. Is he a womanizer? Is this emotional infidelity?

No, if the girl has long silver hair like this now, then the person she likes is definitely a talented person, right?